Sidelines: New S&T football head coach should be hired soon

Also, Kruppe hired as Farmington High head coach and Wells finally gets the best of buddy Robertson.

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By Dave Roberts

The Rolla Daily News - Rolla, MO

By Dave Roberts

Posted Mar. 16, 2013 at 1:56 PM
Updated Mar 16, 2013 at 1:59 PM

By Dave Roberts

Posted Mar. 16, 2013 at 1:56 PM
Updated Mar 16, 2013 at 1:59 PM

The replacement for David Brown as Missouri S&T football head coach should be named soon.

The interview process for the position has been completed and, according to S&T Sports Information Director John Kean, it is hoped a decision on the new coach will be made in a week to 10 days.

The start of the spring football practice sessions for the Miners could be determined on when the new head coach is hired. The expected start of spring football drills is after the S&T spring break, around April 1.

Last month Brown resigned after three seasons as S&T head coach to accept an assistant coaching position at Fresno State.

Kruppe Hired

Rolla High School football assistant coach Erik Kruppe has recently been hired as the new football head coach at Farmington High School.

In addition to being a Rolla High assistant the past three seasons Kruppe has extensive experience as a collegiate assistant coach, having served assistant stints at Missouri S&T, Arkansas Tech and Truman State, among other schools.

Kruppe replaces Todd Vaughn as the head coach of the Farmington Knights, who finished 3-7 in 2012.

Vaughn, who led the Knights to the most single-season wins in school history in 2011 (12-2), resigned to accept the Belton High School football head coaching job in suburban Kansas City.

Wells/Robertson

Former high school rivals and college buddies seemed to be joined at the hip on a run to the Missouri Show-Me Showdown in recent weeks.

St. James High School girls' head coach Terry Wells and Fatima High boys' head coach Ryan Robertson went at each other when the two were all-state guards from 1994-46 – Wells at Belle High School and Robertson at Fatima High School.

Robertson won all of those battles, as Fatima topped Belle in regular and post-season games. Interestingly enough, Belle's head coach then was Phil West while Fatima's was Todd Uffmann. West is now Wells' boss as St. James' Athletic Director. Uffmann lives in St. James as well and his daughter, Alexis, is now Terry's point guard for the Lady Tigers.

Later on Wells and Robertson became teammates and roommates while members of the Central Methodist men's basketball squad and have remained close friends.

Starting on Feb. 18 and running through last week the St. James girls and Fatima boys weaved their way through the state playoffs, both winning the Class 3 District 9 Tournament championship in Cuba, then winning in the sectional round at Rolla, then triumphing in the quarterfinals at Springfield before moving on to the Missouri Class 3 State Tournament Final Four in Columbia. All the way Wells and Robertson could be found rooting for each other from the stands.

Page 2 of 2 - Wells' Lady Tigers ended up finishing third in the girls' state tournament while Robertson's Comets were fourth in the boys' state tourney.